How to See the World: An Introduction to Images, from Self-Portraits to Selfies, Maps to Movies, and More

276 Pages·2016·22.49 MB·English

by  Nicholas Mirzoeff

PRAISE FOR HOW TO SEE THE WORLD
“Traveling to the moon and back, across continents and between eras, Mirzoeff nimbly and effectively
narrates the visual regimes that regulate what we see, how we see, and what remains completely hidden
from view. Indispensable reading for the twenty-first century.”
—Jack Halberstam, Professor of American Studies and Ethnicity, Gender Studies, and Comparative
Literature, University of Southern California and author of The Queer Art of Failure
“This book will transform the way you see the world—and how you want to change it. Eloquently written,
it offers new insights on everything from selfies as a new global art form to impressionist art as evidence of
global climate change. It is simply brilliant.”
—Wendy Hui Kyong Chun, Professor and Chair, Modern Culture and Media, Brown University
“Nicholas Mirzoeff connects images and practices of looking to political struggles, up to and including the
survival of the planet. In clear, powerful prose, Mirzoeff shows how visuality is at the very center of
struggles for social justice, at moments of both domination and resistance. An essential introduction for
anyone who wants to understand visuality today.”
—Jonathan Sterne, James McGill Professor in Culture and Technology, McGill University and
author of MP3: The Meaning of a Format
“A lucid and accessible introduction to how images shape our lives and effect change, political and social . .
. [How to See the World] offers numerous insights into ‘reading’ the significance of images in the world
today and is filled with intriguing, insightful nuggets. A challenging and provocative inquiry into how we
see the world.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Beautifully written, with a broad sweep of examples that speak to the power of images and encourage us to
see and think in new ways, How to See the World is the go-to book for scholars and students in fields
ranging from political science and anthropology to art history.”
—Suzanne Blier, Allen Whitehill Clowes Chair of Fine Arts and of African and African American
Studies, Harvard University
Also by Nicholas Mirzoeff:
An Introduction to Visual Culture
The Visual Culture Reader
The Right to Look

Copyright © 2016 by Nicholas Mirzoeff.
Published by Basic Books, A Member of the Perseus Books Group First published in the United Kingdom
by Pelican Books, an imprint of Penguin Books. Penguin Books is part of the Penguin Random House
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Designed by Jack Lenzo
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015956107
ISBN: 978-0-465-09601-5 (e-book) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Kathleen, as ever
CONTENTS
Introduction How to See the World
Chapter 1 How to See Yourself
Chapter 2 How We Think About Seeing
Chapter 3 The World of War
Chapter 4 The World on Screen
Chapter 5 World Cities, City Worlds
Chapter 6 The Changing World
Chapter 7 Changing the World
Afterword Visual Activism
Further Reading
Acknowledgments
List of Illustrations
Notes
Index
INTRODUCTION
HOW TO SEE THE WORLD
Figure 1. NASA, Blue Marble
I
n 1972, the astronaut Jack Schmitt took a picture of Earth from the Apollo 17
spacecraft, which is now believed to be the most reproduced photograph ever.
Because it showed the spherical globe dominated by blue oceans with
intervening green landmasses and swirling clouds, the image came to be known
as Blue Marble.
The photograph powerfully depicted the planet as a whole, and from space:
no human activity or presence was visible. It appeared on almost every
newspaper front page around the world.
In the photograph, Earth is viewed very close to the edge of the frame. It